Closet hanger apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts in a closet from a closet bar installed in the closet. At least a pair of interconnected hangers, one of which hangs from the bar, are provided, each hanger resiliently clasping a pair of pants or a skirt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to closet hanger apparatus; and, more particularly, to a plurality of hangers, one of which hangs from a bar in the closet, another of which hangs from the hanger hanging from the bar.

[0003] 2. Related Art

[0004] Various hanging devices have been suggested over the years for hanging clothes in a closet. Generally, space is at a premium in a closet and it has been suggested that one hanger can hang from a bar in a closet, another hanger can hang from that hanger. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,321 to Willinger et al. However, the device of Willinger et al does not clamp skirts or pants or the like and requires an additional element at the bottom of the hanger to attach another hanger thereto.

[0005] Another such device is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,739 to Blandard et al. However, the hanger devices cannot be used separately to hang clothes.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,445 to Chen does not show a clothes clamping hanger and requires an intricate carefully machined pivot joint to provide a hanging hook.

[0007] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,678 to Blanchard et al, another hanging device is shown where one hanger can be hung from another. There is no clothes clamping means and a separate hanging element must be carefully machined on the bottom of the hanger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,861 to Duester et al and 6,308,872 to Duerr et al are similarly defective.

[0008] There thus exists a need for hanging apparatus for a closet wherein skirts or pants or the like may be clamped and one hanger can hang from the other utilizing the clamping means of the hangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts or the like from a closet bar clamping the clothes while utilizing the clamping means to hang a successive hanger therefrom.

[0010] It is further object of this invention to carry out the foregoing object where the clamping means includes a hook portion having a clamping member integral therewith, the latter resiliently grasping wire elements attached to spaced bars between which the clothes are clamped.

[0011] These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts or the like in a closet from a closet bar installed in the closet. At least a pair of interconnected hangers, one of which hangs from the bar, are provided, each hanger resiliently clasping a pair of pants or a skirt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0012]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of apparatus in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of one of the hangers alone of FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 2 showing the hanger bars in open position prior to clamping a clothes garment therebetween;

[0015]FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 2 showing the bars in clamped position;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bars of one hanger, the clamping hook portion of FIGS. 1 to 4 removed therefrom for convenience of illustration;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a portion of the interconnected wire members forming part of the clamping means of the invention; and

[0018]FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the hooks along the hangers of FIGS. 1 to 6 removed from engagement with the hanger wire members.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, apparatus 10 is shown having a pair of clothes clamping hangers 11, 12 hanging from bar 13 adapted to be mounted in a closet or the like. Hangers 11, 12 are identical and each hanger includes a hook member 14 (FIG. 2) having a hook 15 at one end and an elongated portion 16 at its other end. Portion 16 is fixedly secured in a clamping hook portion 17 which forms part of the clamping means for each hanger as will be discussed.

[0020] Thus, portion 16 may be swivelly mounted in hook portion 17.

[0021] Each hanger includes a pair of elongated generally rectangular bars 18, 19 (see also FIG. 3) which normally abut against each other (see FIG. 4) when in the clamping position but are spaced apart, as seen in FIG. 3, prior to clamping a garment therebetween, such as pants or skirts or the like.

[0022] Referring again to FIG. 2, each bar 18, 19 has a wire member (wire member 20 secured to bar 18 and wire member 21 (FIG. 4) secured to bar 19). Wire members 20, 21 are shown in FIG. 5, with the clamping hook portion 17 removed therefrom. Wire member 20 includes a pair of spaced leg portions 22, 23 having terminal curved ends 24, 25, respectively, secured in the top of bar 18. Portions 22, 23 extend upwardly and inwardly from bar 18 to an integral bail portion 26.

[0023] In like manner, wire member 21 also has a pair of spaced leg portions 27, 28 terminating in curved terminal ends 29, 30, respectively. Leg portions 27, 28 also extend upwardly and inwardly from bar 19 to an integral bail portion 31.

[0024] As seen in FIG. 5, bail portion 26 lies generally in the same plane as the leg portions 22, 23 whereas bail portion 31 curves away from its leg portions 27, 28 forming a curved portion 32 at the junction of each spaced leg portion 27, 28 with bail portion 31 as seen in FIG. 6. The spaced leg portions 22, 23 from bar 18 (see leg portion 22 in FIG. 6) curve at curved portion 33 at its junction with bail portion 26 thus looping onto the curved portions 32 of bail portion 31.

[0025] The clamping means of the invention includes the aforementioned clamping hook portion 17 connected to hook end 16 (see FIG. 7—the hook member 14 and hook portion 17 are shown removed from engagement with wire members 20, 21). Hook portion 17 has a first main body portion 34 extending to a curved portion 37 having a first hook element 35 on one side thereof, then continuing past element 35 to form a terminal hook portion 36 extending in a direction away from first hook element 35. As seen in FIG. 7, the junction portion between curved portion 37 and terminal hook portion 36 is angled.

[0026] As seen in FIG. 4, in order to couple hook element 17 to wire members, hook portion 36 is hooked about bail portion 26, then hook portion 17 is rotated upwardly to the FIG. 4 position, the bail portion 31 moving downwardly along the curved surface 37 (FIG. 7) between body portion 34 and terminal hook portion 36 into the angled junction portion forcing the wire members 20, 21 together to the clamping position as shown in FIG. 4. Counterrotation returns the wire elements 20, 21 to the clamped position shown in FIG. 4.

[0027] Looking again at FIG. 1, in operation, a first hanger 11 is hung from bar 13 and a second hanger 12 is hung onto hook element 35 of the first hanger 11. Clothes can be clamped between bars 18, 19 and unclamped by rotating hook portion 17 as previously discussed.

[0028] The hook portion 17 may be quickly and easily manufactured and may be one piece, such as any suitable plastic material. Wire members 20, 21 may also be of one integral piece of a suitable round metallic wire. The hook members 14 may be of similar material. Bars 18, 19 may be of wood.

[0029] Each hanger is thus made up of only 3 parts, the interconnected bars 18, 19 and hook portion 17. The interior 38 (FIG. 3) of each bar 18, 19, where they abut against each other as seen in FIG. 4, may be roughened or ridged, to grasp any clothes clamped between bars 18, 19.

[0030] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, variations thereof may occur to an artisan and the scope of the invention should only be limited by the scope of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for separately hanging garments in a closet from a bar mounted in the closet while clamping the same comprising: a plurality of hangers, each of said hangers including a pair of spaced bars for clamping a garment therebetween, each of said bars including clamping means for releasably clamping said bars together, each of said clamping means including a first wire member secured to one of said bars and a second wire member secured to the other of said bars, said clamping means further including a hook portion engaging each of said wire members, said hook portion movable from a first position clamping said bars together to a second position unclamping said bars, each of said hook portions having a hook member connected thereto and a hanger hook element, said hook member of one of said hangers being adapted to hang from a bar mounted in a closet, the hook member of the other of said hangers being adapted to hang from said hanger hook element.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said wire members includes a pair of spaced legs fixed to each of said bars respectively, each pair of said legs being interconnected by a bail portion, one of said bail portions looping about and secured to the other of said bail portions.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said hook portion has a main body portion connected to said hook member, a curved portion integral with said main body portion extending to an angled junction portion and terminating in a terminal hook portion, said terminal hook portion hooking onto one of said bail portions and said curved portion receiving the other of said bail portions in the angled junction portion of said curved portion with said terminal end portion.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of said bail portions is generally U-shaped, one of said bail portions having said spaced legs extending to and curving about the other of said bail portion forming said bail portions, said last mentioned bail portion lying in a plane spaced from the plane in which said spaced legs connected thereto lie.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein one of said bail portions having said spaced legs connected thereto lies in the same plane as said last-mentioned spaced legs.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein one of said bail portions is substantially wider than the other of said bail portions.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said terminal hook portion hooks onto the bail portion wherein the spaced legs connected thereto and said bail portion lie in the same plane.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bars are of wood.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hook portion is of plastic.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hook portion and said hook element are of one integral piece. 